Hello all. First, thank you to all that offer your knowledge and expertise to “us newbies“.
I live in Fort Worth TX and will be starting a power washing business on a part time basis for now. I’ve enjoyed reading threads here, gaining knowledge and laughing at the banter.
I have tried to find an answer to a question I have by searching the archives, google, you tube, etc but so far it’s been unsuccessful.
I have a friend who just finished painting the exterior of their house (HardiePlank siding, facia and soffit) approximately a month and a half ago. Unexpectedly he got a job opportunity in another town and they will now be selling the house to move. They asked me if I would wash the house and do the flat work (driveway, patio, walkway).
My question is should I be concerned to wash the house since it’s new paint? Will this present any challenges or should I prewet the new paint just as I would windows, vegetation and only focus my mix on the brick. Should I go with a lighter mix to protect any overspray on the new paint?
Any help (expertise) would be appreciated. Hopefully one day I’ll be on here with some solid advise for someone but for now I’ll accept my role as a “NEWBIE” .
30 second Google search for “house exterior paint cure time”
Err on the side of caution if needing to treat brick below the painted siding with a strong mix and prewet as you said. Walk away if the paint is Sherwin Williams and/or dark blue, red, green or brown
The only issue I’ve ever had with freshly painted houses is there’s not much of a difference before and after, so the homeowner will sometimes question the price since they can’t visually see a drastic difference. I would make it very clear that the house won’t appear much cleaner from afar but it’ll be more noticeable with the flat work. Remind them that it is always beneficial to kill all the bacteria on the house they can’t see, so there won’t be any issues of mold or algae growing in the future. As for stripping paint or any discoloration I’ve never had an issue with freshly painted houses. Fresh paint is strong paint.
@C_Walk your description of the scope of work is vague but I’m guessing you’re needing to clean brick veneer and windows only since the painted surfaces aren’t dirty.
The only way to answer your question for certain is to do a test spot.
I certainly appreciate the responses. Yes I’m only going to focus on the brick. I was just concerned with overspray getting on the new paint and possibly discoloring it somehow. I will try to find out what brand of paint they used. Thanks again
As mentioned I always do a test spot on paint. I’ll use like 4% and test in an inconspicuous area like behind the gas meter, a/c, bushes, etc. I would just pre-wet and try and spray to where the over spray doesn’t hit the siding. If the brick has a bunch of organic stains you’re going to need a stronger mix than what you can get from down streaming. You’ll need a 12v or pump up and possibly even some pressure. Use less surfactant on brick so it doesn’t take forever to rinse. Brick is porous enough the mix stays in place without it.
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